You wouldn’t put a child into a car without a car seat or seat belt, so why would you do the same thing with your pet? Unfortunately, far too many people don’t use pet harnesses, so here’s what you need to know.

Even if you’re driving slowly, a sudden stop can turn your pet into a missile. If—god forbid—you do have an accident, an unsecured pet could very likely run away.

But, let’s not overlook the biggest concern on the roads these days…distracted driving.

The bad news is, even pet safety harnesses designed to keep dogs restrained in the car aren’t always effective, and recent tests from the Center for Pet Safety proved that.

The biggest failures are when the harness is secured too tightly around their body, or if it slides out of place during impact.

The two best performing harnesses? ClickitUtlity, which has a three-point harness and a padded vest; and AllSafe, which is made of nylon and stainless steel and can slide into the seat belt instead of being tethered, for extra security.